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Abstract
Education is one of the fundamental priorities of nation building. For this reason, the
Indonesian government continuously seeks to improve the quality of its education.
Empowering education can be done using many strategies, such as reforming school
curricula or school systems or both. This article approaches the improvement of
Indonesian education from a different angle, by considering teachers and the teaching
profession. Before proposing an agenda for improving teachers, the article considers
two main problems of Indonesian teachers: the practice of teacher-centred classroom
pedagogy; and the emphasis on rote learning in the classroom. In response to these
phenomena, this article suggests two main factors responsible for the persistence of
such teaching styles: institutional cultures and the nature of assessment systems in
Indonesian schools. This article has three recommendations to help Indonesian teachers
improve. However, the author is aware that the agendas for improvement are complex
and institutional reforms are needed; for example, the reform of teacher recruitment;
teacher evaluation and also the reform of assessment systems. This article includes a
discussion of what makes for a good teacher, which will help Indonesian teachers to
gain an insight to their profession, and a discussion of the changes that could be made
to enable the quality of teaching to improve.
Introduction
Teaching is indeed a complex profession; it is also a challenging one in
which teachers have to meet various social and intellectual demands.
Successful teachers are not simply responsible for transferring
knowledge, they must transfer it effectively and successfully, and
for that reason alone, they should organise classrooms, implement
effective classroom pedagogy and work cooperatively with a diversity
of students and colleagues (McCaughtry, Cothran, Kulinna, Martin and
Faust, 2005). Despite the significant role of teachers in the classroom,
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Rote learning takes place at least for two reasons: first, teachers
lack of teaching competence, in which they do not possess sufficient
pedagogical knowledge to conduct instruction and they have been denied
opportunities to empower themselves by improving their teaching skills;
and second, the highly centralised system of assessment.
To sum up, this section has attempted to clarify that the long tradition
of teacher-centred classroom pedagogy and rote learning is a complex
phenomenon. It prevails because of related factors; the system of
teacher recruitment and evaluation, classroom practices common to
so many Indonesian schools, the system of assessment, and teachers
lack of teaching competence; all these combine to ensure that these
instructional traditions continue. Because teacher-centred and rote
learning is complex, the solutions are also complex. The hierarchical
structure of education should be changed, Indonesian education must
be detached from a highly centralised management that administers
teacher recruitment, teaching evaluation and systems of assessment. The
following section deals with some insights on manipulating teachercentred classroom pedagogy and rote learning.
Efforts for Improvement
In this second section, I propose some ideas that might minimise, if
not eliminate, the dependency and the strong attachment of teachers
to institutional cultures and to the current education system. Three
suggestions are proposed in this section: reforming the systems at
the schools and the pegawai negeri institutions; implementation of
appropriate teaching evaluation; and reformulation of assessment
systems. These thoughts, however, are not magic words that eliminate
the use of teacher-centred learning approach and system of rote learning
in the Indonesian schools in no time.
Institutional Reform
Because the civil service institutions or the nature of pegawai negeri are
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hand, the parents from affluent families will give reasons when talking
to children about a particular thing. This elaborated code helps children
to develop rational skills, with which they are better able to meet the
demands of an academic setting (Giddens, 2001). Giddens example
suggests that social cultures have significant roles in shaping students
attitudes to learning. This indicates that understanding students ways
of learning is an important attribute of successful teachers.
Understanding students learning styles and the factors that influence
this enables teachers to develop the most appropriate ways of interacting
with their students in and out of the classroom. They would also be
more conscious of their students social circumstances. For example,
when students fail to achieve satisfactory academic results, teachers
will first explore factors affecting students learning attitude without
making unwarranted assumptions. In addition to understanding the
nature of learning and what influences it, the teacher should also
possess sociological and psychological knowledge. Having such
knowledge, teachers would be better able assess and treat their students
(Marjoribanks, 1991)
Understanding how students learn is a prerequisite for successful
and effective teaching (Marjoribanks, 1991); such understanding
allows teachers to teach more effectively. There is a consensus that
most Indonesian teachers are uni-disciplinary; they are not prepared
with a knowledge of sociology, psychology and communication that
would help them shape classroom practices (Buchori, 2001). Acquiring
multidisciplinary knowledge is necessary because it allows someone to
be a better teacher, a better facilitator and a better educator. Instilling
these supporting disciplines should be done through teacher training
colleges or through in-service training (Buchori, 2001).
Effective teachers also need to be conscientious about their students
sociological and psychological maturity; successful teachers act as
teachers and as educators. As educators, Indonesian teachers may need
to transform their perception about the nature of school education.
Schools do not function merely as places to instil knowledge; they
are moral agents where students morality and emotional capacity is
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Pedagogical Knowledge
This article also assumes that successful teachers are qualified in
pedagogical knowledge and in effective teaching methods. To teach
effectively and successfully, teachers need sufficient pedagogical
knowledge. This means that teachers should be able to build an
effective learning environment which nurtures students intelligence
(Bransford et al, 1999; Donovan and Bransford, 2005). According to
Bransford et al. (1999), one way to improve teaching is to shift from
teacher-centred instruction to learner-centred. The latter recognises
and appreciates students presence in the classroom. In learner-centred
teaching environments, students come to recognise their own potential
talents (Watkins et al. (2007). Teachers adopting a learner-centred
teaching style not only understand their subject matter but also position
themselves as learners so they can be more understanding of students
social background (McCombs, 2007). The most important of all is that,
according to Shor (1992), learner-centred classes allow democratic
dialogue. Such dialogue is significant in the attempt to create a healthy
learning environment because it gives students the space to voice
their understanding or point of view on issues. Shared authority in
the classroom will allow critical dialogue to emerge. In spite of the
importance of dialogue in the classroom, Shor (1999) acknowledges
that most teachers will resist such an idea.
In addition to learner-centred instruction, Bransford et al. (1999) and
Donovan and Bransford (2005) argue that successful teachers should
transform their school into a knowledge-centred environment. In their
classroom pedagogy, effective teachers connect their understanding of
students with the new information they are about to teach. In this case,
students expression of opinion is encouraged (Fraser, 2005). Fraser
(2005) also suggests that effective teachers teach subjects in depth,
covering fewer topics in one session or class rather than teaching wider
topics superficially. Indonesian teachers should be informed regarding
this effective teaching style because they still expect students to study
a great many subjects extensively. In addition, to succeed in teaching,
teachers need to understand pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). PCK
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Websites
Daud, ZBM (2009). Mempertanyakan efesiensi UN. Retrieved 1-05-2009, 2009, from
http://id.acehinstitue.org
Khalifa, S (2009). UN, formalitas nasional yang irrasional. Retrieved 1-05-2009,
2009, from http://id.acehinstitute.org
Lie, A (2004). Tujuan akhir nasional: kesenjangan kekuasaan dan tanggung jawab.
Retrieved 15-09-2009, 2009, from http://www.komunitasdemokrasi.or.id
Oey-Gardiner, M (2005).
Ujian Nasional: Mengukur standar mutu atau UUD?
Retrieved 15-09-2009, 2009, from http://www.ihssrc.com
Soaloon, BT (2009). Dusta ujian nasional. Retrieved 23-04-2009, 2009, from http://
id.acehinstitute.org
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Personal Communication
Rosemary Viete (international student advisor) at the Faculty of Education, Monash
University, April 2009
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